Microsoft, Novell announce Linux partnership

Keywords: Match:

Nov. 02, 2006

[Updated 1:50 PM PDT] -- Sources close to Novell indicate that a deal with Microsoft concerning Linux will be announced today, Nov. 2, at 2 PM Pacific time in San Francisco.

Spread the word:
digg this story

While this may sound as likely as George Bush and John Kerry singing a duet together, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft Corp. will be announcing it will offer sales support for Novell Inc.'s SUSE Linux family. In addition, the two companies will work together on technologies that will make it easier for users to run both SLED (SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop) 10 and Windows XP and Vista on the same desktop.

On top of this, Microsoft, according to the WSJ, is expected to announce that it won't use its patents against any software incorporated into SUSE Linux.

Historically, Novell and Microsoft have been arch-rivals long before Linux entered the picture. Under Ray Noorda, Novell's recently deceased legendary former CEO, the companies fought like cats and dogs over the early network server market.

Before Linux was a gleam in Linus Torvalds' eye, Microsoft with NT and Novell with NetWare warred over the PC local area networks. Eventually, Microsoft won, but it was never an easy battle and several lawsuits following in its wake.

In 2004, Microsoft announced that it was paying $536 million to end an antitrust battle with Novell. Novell had brought anti-trust actions against Microsoft because of what it saw as Microsoft's illegal actions against NetWare. In return, Novell withdrew from the then current legal case against Microsoft in the European Union.

This, however, was not the end of Novell and Microsoft butting heads. The very same week that the NetWare anti-trust action had been settled, Novell sued Microsoft for damages arising from Microsoft's efforts to eliminate competition in the office application market during the mid-'90s, when Novell owned the WordPerfect word-processing application and the Quattro Pro spreadsheet application.

While part of this lawsuit has been thrown out, the case is still in court. It's quite possible, if Microsoft and Novell do announce a significant deal today, that putting this issue to rest will be part of it.

To date, although the two companies have done some work together with Netware, GroupWise, Windows, and Exchange interoperability, there has been no collaboration of any real significance. In particular, Novell and Microsoft have not worked together before with anything to do with Linux. Of course, Microsoft has never really done anything to make life easier for Linux interoperability.

In today's event, both Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian are expected to speak in a joint press conference. At that time, further details on with appears to be a revolutionary deal will be revealed.

Watch this space for more news following the press conference.

-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Do you have comments on this story?

Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!

Related Stories:

(Click here for further information)

Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Resource Library

Popular recent stories: • Linux an equal Flash player • Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits • gOS 3.0 goes gold • Browser swallows OS • Lenovo denies ditching Linux • Lightweight, Linux-compatible browser evolves • GNOME 2.24 gains "Empathy" IM • Review: Pardus Linux • Ubuntu to fund Linux development • Ubuntu "Intrepid Ibex" available All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • A simple Linux backup method • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • The well-tempered Debian desktop • Lenovo launches a netbook • What's the best Linux for beginners? • Getting to know Puppy Linux • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users • VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of Linux-Watch headlines: • Amid controversy, Microsoft launches open source foundation • As open source surges, Microsoft admits Linux threat • Open source lobbying group emerges • Open source Linux device drivers submitted by -- Microsoft? • Google names Chrome OS partners • Google's new OS marries Linux and Chrome • Debian plans draw sharp warning from GNU guru • OpenSource World announces keynote speakers • Linux 2.6.30 gets new filesystems • Intel to buy Wind River for $884 million Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more	Visit the...

BREAKING NEWS

• ABI's Jeffrey Orr on rising Linux netbook sales
• Moblin v2.1 goes beta, adds 3G support
• Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study
• Skype working on open source VoIP UI
• Ubuntu 9.10 final ships as IBM spins Ubuntu-based cloud distro
• CentOS rev's to version 5.4, tries on KVM
• Fedora 12 optimized for Atom-powered netbooks
• Puppy Linux 4.3 gains bugfix, rave reviews
• Hulu comes to Linux
• Reviews praise Ubuntu 9.10, knock Ubuntu Moblin Remix
• Mandriva 2010 goes for the full Moblin
• Gentoo-based distro rev'd to version 5.0
• Karmic Koala beta ships, praised for fast boots
• OpenSUSE 11.2 poised for release
• Moblin v2.0 ships, appears on Dell netbook

Linux Netbooks

Linux smartphones!

news feed

Or, follow us on Twitter...

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2009 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2009 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.